HVCC Faculty, Students Participate in SUNY AI for Good Challenge at UAlbany

October 22, 2026

Five Hudson Valley Community College faculty members and five students recently participated in the SUNY AI for Good Challenge, held Oct. 16-17 at the University at Albany.

Hudson Valley faculty participants included Danielle Blesi, Peter Fil, Shawna Kay-Addison, Linda Lim and Shalini Varma, who served as team leaders during the two-day event. Student participants were Tugba Celik, Celeste Farhangi, Zachary Pauli, Edson Tembo and Tara Westerfield. Participants from different SUNY institutions and academic disciplines worked together to develop projects exploring how artificial intelligence can be used to address societal challenges.

One team featuring Hudson Valley participants earned third place and a $1,000 prize for Neighborwell, an app prototype designed to connect vulnerable populations with community support during emergencies.

Led by Hudson Valley Biology Instructor Shalini Varma and University at Albany Instructor Xinyu Li, the team included UAlbany graduate students, current Hudson Valley students, and SUNY undergraduate students who are Hudson Valley alumni and former participants in Varma’s research class.

Hudson Valley’s participation in the challenge is part of the college’s grant partnership with the University at Albany, which is expanding opportunities for students and faculty to engage in AI-related teaching, research and hands-on learning. The challenge provided an early opportunity for Hudson Valley faculty and students to collaborate across institutions and disciplines while exploring real-world applications of artificial intelligence.